Customer Reviews

Fanuilh

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When one of Liam's few friends/acquaintances (a wizard) is murdered in his bed, the wizard's familiar bites him on the leg and steals part of his soul. So begins the partnership between Liam Rhenford, a traveler/soldier/poet/historian, and Faniulh, a dog-sized dragon. Faniulh promises to teach Liam some simple spells and such in return for finding Tarquin's (the wizard) murderer.

The story isn't long and is quite simple, yet very engaging. The characters are well-fleshed out and cared for and it was fun to read a mystery story in a fantasy setting. This book is the first in the series and comes as part of a trilogy in A Dragon Familiar. If you enjoy fantasy and mystery this is the perfect book for you!

Murder, Magic and Mystery. Three common elements in fantasy but Daniel Hood's first book in the Liam Rhenford series is an uncommon pleasure. To look at the cover or read the blurb on the back would lead you to think that this is just another tired fantasy. It's not. Hood brings forth characters that are engaging and real. Our hero has a past that is only alluded to and that aspect helps in creating a solid tale and character. The supporting characters are also well defined and they lend a wonderful feel to the story. Take an afternoon and read Fanuilh. I think you'll find yourself reaching for the next two books and still wanting more

I bought this book mostly because of the cover, but when I was confined to bed due to an illness, I read it cover to cover almost non-stop. It's a good thing it came as a triliogy because I could not have waited to read the other two. I'd definately recommend this to a friend.

Dan Hood is a difficult author to catagorize, and is therefore far more interesting to read. With plots and characters far more suited to the Hard Boiled detective genre, but a setting and environment that is clearly fantasy, this book (and indeed the entire series) has created a new genre, "Detective Fantasy." Liam Renford is a classic hard boil detective. A loner, Liam solves a crime through logic and legwork. True to the detective genre, Liam has a close confidante, but one that is still distant, not quite a friend. Though unlike most detective works, this confidante is not human, but rather a Dragon. It is a captivating book that you can't put down, and when you finish, you eagerly look for the next in the series.

From what is written on the cover, you would assume that this is a standard fantasy book. It is not. This book is a logical detective story. Most fantasies dispense with logic and use miracles to move the plot along. In this story the main character, Liam Rhenford, must find the killer of a reclusive wizard friend. The wizard's familar has stated that if he finds the murderer, then the familar will teach him the mysteries of magic. The suspects are an apothecary with LOTS to hide, a merchant prince who is VERY jealous of his rival merchant prince, a mystery woman, and a player from the equivalent of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. The plot twists are done well. Liam Rhenford falls down and bleeds when he is hit. The local sheriff is a good ol' boy with brains. Even the spear carrier is well developed. You have NO idea who the culprit is until the last few pages. This book is a cut above most detective stories and is way above most fantasy fiction.

I loved the adventures of Liam and Fanuilh and eagerly await more :) Great merge of Fantasy and Mystery genre. I highly recommend this author.

I'm very impressed with Daniel Hood's success in placing the traditional detective story in a fantasty setting. I wonder how many fantasy series there are out there that don't revolve around the very much over-used "quest" theme...? Thebook all the usual components of its genre, but they're placed in original situations-- the end result being that, instead of groaning "Another one of these same books again!!", the reader is simply enjoying the story.

I loved the book. I enjoy fantasy and I also like a good murder mystery. I really do wish there were more books like this.

I read this book and loved it so much! Liam was a great character and Fanuilh is a great dragon. It's a cross between Murder, She Wrote and Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. It had no boring parts. I read it in one sitting.

I loved it and encourage readers to read it!The Author's range in vocabulary blew me away!Definately ranks up there as one of the top ten list in the science-fiction and fantasy genre.AAAA+++++!5 stars.